This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
It is known to provide illumination or light sources at the side of the vehicle, such as to provide security lighting or convenience lighting at the side of the vehicle. For example, such lighting devices are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,349,450; 6,550,103; 5,371,659; 5,669,699; 5,823,654 and 5,497,305, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Typically, such lighting devices provide illumination along the side of the vehicle and down to the ground at the side of the vehicle.
Motor vehicles, such as sports utility vehicles, can additionally be designed to include a user-activated, non-contact power closure member system (e.g., power liftgate system) for automatically opening a closure member of the vehicle. The power closure member system includes a sensor to detect motion of the user desiring to open the closure member, for example a kicking motion of the user's foot beneath a rear bumper in the event that the closure member is a rear liftgate. The system includes technology to confirm the user, who is in possession of a key fob associated with the vehicle, is the source of the motion, so that the closure member is not incorrectly activated, for example by another human, animal, weather conditions, or objects which could enter the space beneath the bumper. The system allows for convenient, user-friendly opening of the closure member when the user's hands are occupied, for example when the user is holding items to be loaded in the vehicle. However, the user-activated, non-contact power closure member systems which are currently available could be improved.